FAA: "We contacted the LAPD to see if the UAS was theirs. It was not."

Further Reading

Drone was "a couple of feet away from my patio, camera pointed right at me."

Earlier this month, a Canadian jetliner spotted a drone flying at 4,000 feet approximately 10 miles east of Los Angeles International Airport.

According to the Los Angeles Times, which reported the incident Thursday, a pilot asked air traffic controllers if the drone seen on Aug. 4 was a police drone.

It wasn't the only recent drone sighing in L.A. On Aug. 14, Los Angeles Police Department employees reported seeing a drone hovering near the 10th floor of the northwest side of the police headquarters in downtown Los Angeles. According to the Times, a few people took pictures before the drone moved on to hovering above City Hall, across the street.

"We periodically receive pilot reports of unmanned aircraft system (UAS) sightings and follow up on those reports when possible," Ian Gregor, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration, told Ars. "After receiving the WestJet pilot’s report, we contacted the LAPD to see if the UAS was theirs. It was not. We have no additional information about the UAS."

Further Reading

Despite the fear, such flights would be illegal, and FAA has yet to cite any paparazzi.

Since 2012, Transport Canada has launched 39 investigations into drone-related incidents, nearly all of them coming from the Pacific region and the province of Quebec.

“Our investigations seek to verify that the rules were followed and that the UAV was operated safely,” Roxane Marchard, a spokeswoman for Transport Canada, told Ars on Friday.

“What we are finding is that many operators are unaware of their responsibilities. In these cases, Transport Canada will work with the [drone] operator to educate them on the risks and responsibilities and take appropriate enforcement action, as required," she said.

"Is your daughter stalked by, like, drones?” West reportedly asked during a recent deposition. “Are there drones flying where she's trying to learn how to swim at age one? Wouldn't you like to just teach your daughter how to swim without a drone flying? What happens if a drone falls right next to her? Would it electrocute her?"

When asked how that might happen, he replied, "Could it fall and hit her if that paparazzi doesn't understand how to remote control the drone over their house?"